Golden Eyes
by Wartyizer
Summary: The story of Saunn early life before becoming a Raven.
1. Prelogue

Golden Eyes

It was a piercing wind which used to rip at the tree on the edge of the clan lands. Theses trees were battered and broken having resisted the wind for so many years. They seemed to be screaming in agony with every creak. They were old, these trees, older, than memory; timeless, so old they had almost merged into the landscape.

They had survived, not just because their flimsy and frail branches would have been useless for even the smallest of fires, but because these were the guardian tree: guarding the forest from the horrors that lay in wait in the snowy wasteland that lay beyond its borders.

It was easy to see why the drooping branches seemed to exude an air of protection, as though they were reaching down to form a barrier preventing entrance to the forest. The gnarled old branches seemed distorted and twisted, like the bones of the old forest shamans, whether it was this that gave the trees their air of being such a powerful presence, or was it the trees that made people terrified of the shamans.

All the different peculiar noises seemed to give the trees even more of a forbidding presence, almost as though they were chanting out to the creatures of the deep darkness, challenging them to come closer.

No man of the forest had steeped past these trees since the darkness had swept over the ice lands, more than 300 summers ago; 25 summers, almost a lifetime. So many of the old clans had disappeared during that terrible winter: the Seal Clan, gone; the Hares, gone; even the secretive old artic fox clan, the clans had been devastated; only the Wolf Clan had escaped to the forest.


	2. Run

Run

Blood trickled down his arm. He looked down at it stonily, without comprehension. He felt no pain, yet it hung limp, with a huge gash from his elbow down to his wrist. Sticking out of his arm, like a jagged mountain peak, was the tip of the Auroch's horn. He pulled it out winching in agony; yet at the time that it impaled itself in his arm he hardly felt it, more like a tree branch striking his arm, than a huge shard of horn embedding itself in his arm.

All of a sudden, sound seemed to return to him. At first all he could hear were the pitiful screams that echoed through the forest; over powering the normally thundering waterfall which crashed onto the rocks just outside the clearing. The clearing was full of varying sounds: there were the booming cries of pain from those who would probably survive, the rising and falling winces of shock of those who could go either way, and the almost silent, gasping breathes of the dieing.

He pushed himself up, using his good arm. He looked out upon a scene of devastation. The young oak saplings had been thrust aside, along with some of the older trees. These were the clan's outer guardians, the tree which had long kept the creatures of night at bay. Now they lay broken and distorted, a tangled wreckage of their former glory.

He then began to look around, staring through the blood that partially blocked his vision. On his head lay another deep wound, which was oozing with blood, just another prickle of pain on his shredded body.

As he looked around the clearing, he saw his Fa, lying by the side of the nearest shelter. Fa looked awful, his jerkin was split in half at the side, where the horn had gone in and been ripped out His guts dangled out of this deep gouge. The earth at the side of him had mixed with his blood to form a porridge like substance.

Fa was calling out in despair, for he thought he had lost his only son:

"Dürin" Fa screamed, holding back tears of pain.

It was only then that Dürin realised how close to crossing into the other world his Fa was.

"Fa!" Dürin called out as he dragged himself towards FA.

"My son", Fa whispered as Dürin reached his side."Run, my son, run. Before _she_ comes".

"Who, FA? Who?"

"No time, just run"

"No, Fa, I can't leave. I can help you"

"No, you can't. I am the Wolf Mage: you are but a boy of 11 summers", Fa snapped.

"I can tr..."

"Someday you will overthrow _her_, but today you cannot save me. Now run", Fa calmly said.

Dürin realised he could do nothing – his Fa was dieing. The Great Wolf Mage was leaving this world.

"Take my pack", Fa told Dürin, whispering again. Dürin gently slide the pack from under Fa's back and swung it onto his own.

"And my knife", Fa told Dürin.

"But you will need it"

"But you will need it"

"Give me yours" Reluctantly Dürin took his Fa's knife.

"Now when you hunt, I will always be with you", FA said, and succumbed at last to his wounds, and drew one final breathe.

Dürin realised now that he was completely alone in the world. First Ma now Fa. It came very close to completely over whelming him Ha had been he had since his Ma died, 6 summers ago: she had died giving birth to his sister, who also died. That terrible night also saw the destruction of the Last Great Mage of the once Great Bear Clan: now they roamed the forest in small scattered groups. The Bears had been destroyed by _her_, just as the Wolves had now been. He was a descendent o the greatest clans, but now both were gone.

He was the last Wolf.


	3. Forest Horse

**Forest Horse**

Five summers later Dürin stood atop the hill. He waited silently as the doe slowly turned its head towards him. His bow hardly made a sound as the arrow sprang away from it. The arrow continued its journey swiftly and almost silently apart from the slight whistling as it pierced the air. Then there was a slight thump as the arrow thudded into the deer's skull, right between the eyes. The doe made a small whine and slid to the ground, dead. Dürin gave a quick whisper of thanks to the world spirit for providing the doe, before shouting back through the undergrowth.

"Quick, Saunn, I got it"

As if from nowhere a girl emerged from the rowan bushes, though in reality she was more akin to a woman than to a girl. She was the same age as Dürin, but that was where nearly all of their similarities ended. Where he had short blonde hair, like the fur of the mountain wolves. She had long, flowing dark black like the long traipsing manes of her clan animal, the Forest Horse. She also had deep dark eyes, which gave of an air of peaceful understanding. She wore a long hunting dress, made of rough, woven, green cloth. This swayed gently at the hem as she walked towards him. This dress allowed her to move gracefully and freely whilst tracking her prey, however, it provided none of the warmth of Dürin's thick elk skin, winter jerkin and trousers. Whereas Dürin's jerkin's sleeves came down to his wrists – covering the massive scar that ran the length of his arm – her dress hung limply off her shoulders.

As she walked towards Dürin, she slowly moved her long hair so that was draped across her shoulders, before sweeping her fringe from across her eyes.

"Nice shot" She said, as she bent down to examine the doe.

"It was easy" he said in a way that he knew seemed arrogant, but he had always been a great shot. Ever since Fa had first taught him to hunt the small wild boar that had roamed the forest around the wolf camp. His first shot when he was five summers old was better than some of the older boys of twelve summers could make. Dürin felt a lump rise in his throat at the thought of Fa; it had been five long summers but he still couldn't forget him.

It was just after the second sunrise after Fa had gone to the other side, that Dürin had first entered the Forest Horse Camp, Dürin knew the way after visiting Fa's brother when he was seven summers old.

Upon his first entry into the Forest Horses' Camp the clan had looked towards him in surprise, curiously staring at his torn and shredded jerkin, with its blood soaked sleeve, then everything went black. When he awoke three sunrises later, Fa's brother told him he had collapsed from weakness and exhaustion, and then asked where Fa was. At the time all he could manage to say in a weak voice was;

"Dead. _She _got him. Told me to run", before he collapsed again.

Ever since that meeting, Dürin had lived with the Forest Horses, adapting to some of their ways but refusing to abandon those of the wolves. The Horse Mage had even begun to teach him the ancient knowledge of the clan mages that had passed down through, the generations, ever since the clans had existed.

He still had a lot to learn, but Laën the horse mage had already realised the power that lay within him. She had prophised, one dark winter night, that he would be the saviour of the clans, which had left Dürin with a lot to live up to among the clan.

As for Saunn she had been one of the first people in the clan to befriend him. Since then they had done everything together; hunting, cooking and everything else involved in the everyday life of the clan. Just like Dürin, she was training to be a mage, and just like him she was very powerful. These two powerful trainee mages terrified the rest of the clan children, so Dürin and Saunn had few other friends close to their age. Dürin wished they were more than friends, but the had convinced himself that someone so beautiful as Saunn, would have no interest in a mate, who was scared, and the last of his clan.

When Dürin's mind finally returned to the present, he and Saunn were halfway through butchering the Doe. Dürin knew that the meat would only give him and Saunn enough food to last four or five sunrises, but during this summer, and food was greatly appreciated. Ever since the solstice, almost two moons ago, the clans had begun to starve.

There were rumours abounding that it was _her_ work; after all, everyone knew that the solstice was the most powerful night of year for all mages. Dürin had once heard of a great stone circle built by the clans of the mysterious land that lay to the west. These lands were unknown to the clans of the forest; but it was said that to the North of the land lay a great range of mountains – included the ominous Fynydd chan 'r Rhyddha Hysbryd as it was called in the language of the mysterious clans that inhabited the westerland, or the Spirit Mountain as the Forest Clans called it. This Mountain Range was a treacherous place where streams turned rapidly from gentle trickles to raging torrents with the spring melt.

The clans that lived there were said to be barbaric and commonly fought against each other, unlike the forest clans who believed that fighting each other was against the law of the forest. The clans of the forest had had more contact with the clans which inhabited the lands to the south of the great mountain range, who they had more in common with, than they did with those which inhabited the great mountains.

It was these people – a group a coastal plain dwellers – who had built the stone circle close to the burial plains of the forest clans that lay on the edge of the forest. These clans from the south of the westerland would now come every solstice to worship the sun god, and to pray that he provide for them over the next year.

However, this year there had been no sightings of the great procession that normally wound its way to the circle from the westerland.

Could it be that the clans of the westerland had not come and was now punishing the forest?

But why had they not come? Had sickness come to them, or had the clans from the great mountains in the north of the westerland finally over run their neighbours to the south? What ever it was, it must have been serious: a warrior delegation had already been sent by the forest chiefs, who's aim was to make contact with the southern clans of the westerland. This delegation included Saunn's brother, who was one of the Forest Horse Clan's mightiest warriors. Mounted on the finest stallion in the forest, which stood at over nineteen hands, he had looked a fine sight as he galloped off to the west. He has been gone for over a moon now and was expected back shortly. What he and the rest of the warriors discovered, was as of yet unknown.


	4. The Work of a Mage

Chapter 4

The Work of a Mage

It was then that Dürin heard someone scream back at the Forest Horse camp. He gave Saunn a quizzical look before they both sprinted back to camp, with the butchered carcass slung over their shoulders and hanging from their packs.

When they reached the camp they saw most of the clan gathered around a figure who was laid upon the ground. Dürin knew who it was before he even saw the figure, the huge white stallion gave it away straight away. It was Lünde, Saunn's brother. Saunn realised this at the same time as Dürin, and immediately collapsed and fell to the ground.

Dürin didn't know what to do. What should he do to help Saunn? Then he heard Laën shouting to him;

"Dürin, pick her up, and bring her to my shelter"

Dürin the gently picked Saunn up and carefully carried her to Laën's shelter. He then laid her upon the furs which covered the ground upon which Laën's shelter lay. He gracefully laid a fur over her, before walking towards Laën, who stood beside the central hearth. She was sitting gently wiping Lünde's brow with some water from her water skin.

"What's happened to him?" Dürin asked

"Some dark mage work" Laën answered.

"Can you help him?" Dürin pleaded.

"No, not this time. This mage work is much too strong for me to fix" Laën replied, crestfallenly.

"But, Saunn – it'll destroy her" Dürin said, aghast.

"I never said he couldn't be saved" Laën responded mysteriously.

"But if not you, who..."

"You!" Laën interrupted

"But, me, why?"

"You are the most powerful mage I have ever met" Laën said proudly

"But..."

"Please, just try. You're the only who has any chance of saving him now" Laën begged.

"Fine. I'll try."

Dürin knelt down to examine Lünde's chest. The blood had already begun to clot in dark red masses around the deep cut, but the centre of the cut was blackened by the powerful mage work; most likely via a poisoned knife. Dürin quickly realised he would have to remove the poison in order for Lünde to have any chance of survival.

Leaning closer to the cut Dürin gently dabbed the cut with a piece of cloth, a tickle of yellowy pus flowed out from within it he would sort this infection later with some ground willow bark. First he would have to remove the poison.

'Come on Dürin' he said to himself quietly; what was it Laën had taught him. 'Ah yes suck out the poison'. He tried this, but nothing came out from within the cut, expect for more puss. 'Now what', then he remembered something Fa had once said. If it worked it might just save Lünde.

Holding his hands out just above the wound, Dürin slowly began to chant, over and over again, the ancient chants of the wolves; more like the howls of the mountain wolf than the chant of a man. Laën, who had been looking after Saunn, turned around at the noise of the strange chanting. She immediately guessed this was ancient mage work, but how did the boy know it? Had his father...? No surely not, she didn't even know who he was, Dürin's Uncle had refused to tell her, or anyone else for that matter.

Whatever the mage work was and who ever had taught him it, the boy certainly knew how to use it. She could see Lünde recovering right before her eyes and his breathing was returning to its normal rate She was amazed. She knew Dürin was powerful and she had hoped he would be able to do something, but she hadn't expected or dared hope – even in her wildest dreams – that the results would be so instantaneous.


	5. Ancient Words

Such a longtime since I've added to any of my stories, literally since, not sure why I stopped, grow, discovered beer, who knows. But I thought I'd give them another go, see if I still get the same enjoyment from them, if not I'll make sure you know, and anyone can have the stories (not that i think anyone would)

Ta

* * *

Ancient Words

Laën, however, had little time to question the boy's past, and where he'd come from, as it rapidly became apparent that whatever he was doing was having the desired effect as she heard Lünde begin to whimper. Now a whimper of pain from a grown man at any other time would be a cause for concern, however, as mere moments before the once strong hunter had laid before her, hanging in between this world and the next, at point she thought she even his soul begin to leave to join his forefathers in the next life.

However, those tiny agony ridden whimpers changed all that; they were a sign that whatever young Dürin was doing, it was working. She stood and watched as the boy continued to chant to twirl his hands over the wound, in ever more elaborate patterns. All she could was gaze on in wonder, as she beheld mage work long thought to have passed from this world. Of course, she herself could perform near wonders with the aid of the many herbs and plants that the tribal healers had used for generations. But to behold a true mage using soul magic, this was something unheard of since the passing of the wolf clan many summers before, and even then their mage had been the last to possess the knowledge of such ancient power.

At the thought of the long pasted wolf clan, she once again began to ponder the boys passed; however, she was once again drawn to the present as Lünde cried out in pain. Moving closer to the hunter she placed her palm across his brow to comfort him. The young hunter, who had just minutes ago stood on the border of life and death, began to look around the shelter in confusion, even in his pain induced fever he himself had excepted his fate and was prepared to move on to the next world. Yet here he was now, back in his own.

"But...who? What?" Lünde asked his eyes darting around the shelter, hardly daring it to be true.

"Hush now" Laën whispered, as she continued to caress his forehead.

"I don't understand, I saw him, I saw the Great Spirit, I was dying" He asked, continuing to attempt to sit up and look round the shelter in confusion.

"Yes, son, I myself felt you leave. So it is not me but Dürin you have to thank for your return"

"But Dürin? Surely not he is just a mere child. Not yet passed sixteen summers" Lünde asked in astonishment.

"That maybe, but he did, and you are in his debt" Laën finished leaving no room for discussion.

At that point Dürin final ended his chanting, and left the trance like state he was in. His eyes returning to their mystic gold colour, the mist that had clouded his eyes disappear like the mist on a summer's morn.

"It worked then" He said simply as his eyes fell on Lünde "I was scared to try, and truly had come to my last resort"

"Last resort or not, you have saved my life" Lünde said his a voice level and deadly serious, "And now I owe you a debt, for you have returned me to this world"

"I care not for debts" Dürin answered casually, "I have just a one question to ask, who was it that did this to you? You were one of many, the forest's finest, who could have injured you so?"

"It was her. She ambushed as we attempted finding the sea clans. We had just left forest's boundary, when she set upon us"

"How could one woman have reaped such devastation?" Dürin pondered aloud, "Surely she cannot have been alone"

"No, not alone" Lünde replied in a hushed, almost fearful voice, "They were with her, the men of the North, they set upon us and killed them all. It was no battle, merely a slaughter, like cattle before the knife" At that point he began to drift off, repeating himself over and over.

Laën turned to Dürin, "You'll get no more from him for now boy, go attend to his sister, pointless for her to grieve needlessly".

Rising up and walking toward the shelter door, he paused just at the skin covered entrance, looking back as Laën wiped Lünde's brow. Before pushing aside the skins, and stepping out into the cold fresh air. He walked slowly toward his shelter gently pushing the drape covering the door aside, to see Saunn sat softly crying in the corner. He stepped in and crossed the shelter, before sitting and pulling her into his chest.

He careful ran his thumb across her eyes, wiping aside her tears.

"Cry no longer" He said softly "Your brother is awake and in Laën's care now"

"Awake?" She said her head darting up, "But he was dying, Laën herself said there was nought she could do for him, cept ease his passing"

"But there was a way of helping him" Dürin said simply, "It just required too much power for Laën and knowledge which she didn't possess"

"Then how?" Saunn asked before becoming silent for a moment as she gazed at Dürin, "No, you couldn't. You wouldn't know."

"But I did" Dürin said quietly, he himself scarcely believing what he had done. He was just a boy, not passed sixteen summers, and having only just begun on the path to becoming a mage. How could he have achieved such a feat?

But of equal importance, would happen now? The word's Lünde had spoken in Laën shelter although few had made him shudder in fear. The brutality of the North tribes was well known, and that they were now aligned with her, was a frightful thought. He had been rapidly thinking of all he knew of the forest and the people who lived beneath her bows. Yet he could think of no-one with the power to even challenge her. The only person he had ever known with the power and heart to challenge her was his Fa, but he had long since passed. Then his Fa's last words came to the fore of his mind, yet surely they were just the mad ravings of a dying man. Still as he thought on it perhaps there was some true in his Fa's words, after all he had pulled the dark mage work from Lünde's chest, and with that he began to think on his fate and whether he could ever achieve it.

Saunn however, rapidly returned him to the present. "You saved him? But how?" Her voice clearly bearing the same confusion her brother's had only moments before.

"I don't truly know" Dürin answered honestly "I just thought of what my Fa once taught me, and hoped that it may work"

"But..." She began

"Please not now" Dürin interrupted "I have as little a clue as you, and to be frank at the moment I just need to sleep, before I collapse" and with that he pulled himself closer to the embers which still burned in the centre of the shelter, wrapped one of the great furs from the floor around himself, and surrendered to the darkness.


	6. The Gathering

Chapter. 6 The Gathering

The forest was silent went Dürin brushed aside the skin covering the shelter entrance, and stepped out into the dew draped clearing which the clan dwelled in. High in one of the trees a bird called its morning song to the sun, whilst the bushes at the edge of the rustled as some small creature returned to its hole before the predators of day arose. The first rays of sunshine were spreading their warmth across the ground, and all around was at peace.

Yet Dürin knew this would not last the revelations of the previous night had shocked and scared Dürin, and the same effect would also undoubtedly happen to the rest of the clan when they too found out, and they were of course certain to find out. For despite the silence of the world in which they lived, no secrets stayed so within the clan, after all most of the time the clan was your family and the first people you would confide it, and even if you tried to hide it in such a small community you had no chance.

So Dürin waited in sun's morning rays for the ordered life he had established to come crashing down around him, as it was certain to do when the clan found of his power, for they would either come to fear him, or perhaps worse revere him. Add the news of _her _coming on top of that, by the end of the day Dürin reckoned on a near hysteria filling the camp.

Conscious of the challenges today would pose, Dürin decided to go off into the woods, hunt and enjoy the peace while it lasted. Stooping back inside his shelter he slung his bow across his back, and pushed his knife down the side of his deer hide boots, and turned to enter the forest.

When Dürin returned around midday as the sun was in its highest point in its rode across the sky, he could hear the discussion of the clan before he even broke through the dense woodland that surrounded the camp. Slung across his shoulder were two rabbits and a Ptarmigan, slowly pushing aside the brush at the boundary of the wood he stepped out and crossed to the centre of the camp, sure that he would be drawn into the discussion even if he tried to resist, and as he had predicted news had spread fast amongst the clan.

Crossing to where his Uncle sat in his place as clan chief he watched as the eyes of the younger children followed him in awe, while some of the adults also looked, many in trepidation rather than excitement.

"Uncle" He said respectfully as he knelt and place one of the rabbits before him, Dürin had always been aware of the danger his Uncle had faced in adopting him, and was always carefully to repay him in any way he could.

"Sit Dürin" His Uncle replied in kind but authoritative voice as moved to make space on the log which he was sat, which left Dürin in no doubt that this was not a request, so he sat at looked round at the faces which who stared back at him across the camps central hearth. All people who had known him for many summers, yet now looked on him with new eyes.

"We were just discussing the events of yesterday" His Uncle explained, "And had wondered for an explanation for the part you played in it. For Laën will tell us nothing, only that it is your store to tell" At hearing this Dürin cast a thankful glance toward Laën.

"But I don't know what there is to tell?" Dürin softly said trying to divert the attention that was focused on him. "Lünde was sick and I healed him"

"Come now boy, we all it can't have been that simple of Laën herself would have just fixed him" One of the men of the clan said.

"I don't know how, I just did it" Dürin replied "Don't ask me how, for I don't wholly know, and wouldn't tell even if I did" Fearful of diverging the ancient knowledge of his own wolf clan.

"That will do to be going to with" His Uncle said, ending the discussion and saving Dürin from any further questioning.

From there the discussion rapidly moved on to how to deal with _her_ for Laën hadn't hidden that part of the story, opinions ranging from trying to pay _her_ off - which none truly believed would work - to raising a great force to face _her_. The last point was rapidly quashed when even it proposer confessed that even with all the clans united they would still be no match for _her_.

For a moment all was silent till Dürin's Uncle announced he had already sent word to as many of the forest clans as possible, telling them of the news of the loss of their finest men, and calling them to a meeting of the clans. He then told the clan to prepare to leave their tranquil clearing, as they were headed to the great oak glade three days walk away where the clans had always met since man first set foot in the great forest.

So it was that three days later that the forest horse stepped out of the forest and into the wide oak glade of the clan meet. It had not been an easy journey, as the clan had not been prepared for it, so had not had enough meat cured to each day as the rest of clan kept walking toward the glade, Dürin, Saunn and the other hunters had headed out into the denser wood around the small path through the forest to get that days food, while the younger children gathered fruits and berries from the bushes alongside the path.

This wanderings in the woods had allowed Saunn to come to terms with what had happened as she listen in silence as Dürin did his up most to explain what he had done, and at the end she would offer him her thanks over and over, till Dürin would beg her to stop. So all was well with the two, and if anything they became closer.

So it was no surprise to Dürin that as he stepped out into the glade Saunn was stood right beside him, as he looked in wonder at the great gathering, he had been two before in his life, once as very young boy with his Fa, and once since with his Uncle's clan. Yet the gathering of all the forest still held him in awe, with its size and variety, whether it being the great shagged bear pelts of the bear clan or the sleek fur cloaks of the foxes.

Dürin watched as his Uncle walked to the largest shelter in the centre of the gathering where the clan chiefs would meet, while the rest of the clan sought a space to put up their own shelters. He was shocked when he saw his Uncle turned and beckoned Dürin to join him, before once again setting off on a winding path through the clans to the central shelter with its plume of smoke easy out of a hole in its great roof.

Slowly Dürin followed till he reached the shelters great door hanging, made of a small part of the pelt or skin of each clan's creature, while the tree clans were shown through the intricate leaves sown in plant fibres across the hanging. His hand reached out to slowly touch the white fur of the Wolf Clan, of whom he was the last. Before he pushed the hanging aside, and stepped into the shelter to find what awaited him within in its great walls, darken by the fires which had long resided it in hearth.


End file.
